Archive for the ‘frosh’

so, orientation week (also known as frosh week) is coming up soon. first-years across the country are about to participate in an outpouring of enthusiasm rarely seen in this city. they’re about to be water-ballooned, gently coerced into huge choreographed dances, and forcibly marched across campus while being made to repeat college/faculty cheers.

it’s gonna be awesome.

and while you bright-eyes first-years get into the spirit of things with rounds of canon-fire and (age appropriate) drinks, upper year students will stay at home for one last week, sleeping in and desperately trying to convince themselves that school isn’t just around the corner.

BUT before aska buggers off and joins the other upper years in this last week of mass denial, i thought i’d draw your attention to our very helpful frosh week tips post, and also to the entire category on this site that is dedicated to talking about orientation week.

give those a browse before you get here for the inaugural week, and remember to GET EXCITED!*

cheers,

aska

*insert cheesy fist pump and radiant smile of pure benevolence common to all orientation week leaders.

***disclaimer*** aska spent her first, terribly misguided year at a university other than uoft (there are universities other than uoft? you better believe it, you egocentric turnips), so she doesn’t know the specifics of frosh here. however, it’s essentially the same event plopped onto different campuses, so my experience will hopefully still be somewhat relevant.

1. you don’t have to go.

most people enjoy frosh week, but some people don’t. that doesn’t make you weird – it’s your life for God’s sake, do what you want.

if you decide not to attend for whatever reason, why not use the week to find your classes, buy textbooks, familiarize yourself with campus, and scope out grocery stores and 7/11s, if you’re going to be living in rez.

2. it’s ok if you don’t meet your BFFLs at frosh.

i met some great friends during frosh week, but i met lots more in my classes, extra-curriculars, etc. be open to new friendships and chat with as many new people as you can, but don’t hate yourself if you don’t meet your soul mate in between college spirit cheers and football games.

3. be frickin realistic about your alcohol intake.

look, i’m not here to police your decisions – obviously, aska doesn’t condone underage drinking. but PLEASE, if nothing else, don’t go into frosh aiming to drink more than you’ve ever drunk in your life. this is not the time to be testing your liver’s overdrive capabilities. guess what? if you puke in someone else’s room, mom won’t be there to clean it up for you (take it from someone who saw a stranger projectile vomit off a bunk bed in someone else’s room, and then had to clean it all up themselves.)

4. no one cares if you’re attending frosh week ironically.

frosh week is a little bit cheesy. there’s dancing, chanting, leis, and themed parties with styrofoam cups, all of which is fun if you just go with the flow and don’t worry about how silly you look. if you plan on going just to make fun of it, you probably won’t enjoy yourself.

5. go to the “boring” parts of orientation.

there is always an academic portion of orientation that some people skip entirely (take a look at vic’s orientation schedule from last year to see how academic vs. non-academic activities balance out). which is fine, but if you’re at university because you’re not at all interested in academics, you’re probably not gonna last long here. my point is: guest lectures and club days are really useful, and you may even find them interesting.

and those are aska’s 5 tips! no matter how you choose to spend orientation week, i hope you stay safe and have a great time.

best,

aska

BONUS TIP: if there are any dances or formal events where you feel inclined to wear heels, always bring flats with you. you don’t look as cute as you think in bare feet, and you’re not going to enjoy the walk home either.

I was wondering if you could be a frosh leader for a college that’s not yours. I’m officially a St.Michael’s College member but I really hate that college/don’t know why I picked it and I don’t spend a lot of time with SMC people and I spend most of my days at UC since I know a lot of UC students. Would I be allowed to be a frosh leader for UC although I’m from SMC??

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hey there,

i’m sorry to hear that’s how you feel about SMC. maybe, if you feel so strongly about it and spend so much time at UC anyway, it might be a good idea to consider transferring colleges. every college is different and if SMC isn’t working for you, then maybe you should consider contacting UC in person or by e-mail to discuss transferring colleges. that way, when it comes to things like applying to be frosh leader, the path will be a lot more straightforward.

as to whether or not UC’ll take you on if you’re from another college, it’s kinda hard to tell tbh. i haven’t found any OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS that specifically BAN students from other colleges applying, but it seems like one of those rules that goes without saying. like, they also don’t expressly ban students from other universities from applying, but i think we can agree they’re not gonna be hired. however, the people who would probably know for sure whether you have a chance are the folks at in charge of student life at uc. i’d speak with them first!

at the end of the day, if none of this pansout, i think that being part of orientation week is awesome, no matter which college you’re a part of. maybe doing frosh with SMC might even open your eyes to the cool stuff hidden away in little corners of your college. who knows! either way, i hope you go ahead and apply, ’cause it’s a great opportunity, no matter which college you remain affiliated with.

I am a first year-student in Life Sciences about to embark on the journeys of MAT135 in the Fall and MAT136 in the Winter, and I feel very insecure about it. I got a 75 in grade 12 calculus, and the teacher was being generous. I feel like I don’t remember anything from last year? Should I review my notes? If I do, wouldn’t that hold me back? Does MAT135 touch upon some concepts from grade 12?

How much should I be worried about university math – on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being ‘really worried’? I know there are math aid centres – can I just drop into those? Should I also allow myself to be consumed with stress if I get a low mark? And if I do get a low mark (and I’m praying I’m not) will that affect my application to the program I want to get into (Human Biology)?

Thanks for your time.

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You’re stressing a lot. Let me tell you something: there is no call for the kind of panicking you’re doing right now. Life is too short for that kind of silliness. Here’s something that you probably don’t realize: you’re not the only one who knows you’re a frosh. It’s not some kind of big secret. Everyone else can tell. I can tell, your peers can tell, and more importantly, your profs can tell.

This means that the professor knows your background, and he or she is going to structure the lecture appropriately towards it. The course starts off with a quick review of trigonometry, which, if you went to school in Ontario, is something that you started learning about in Grade 11 Math (if you went to school outside Ontario, you’re also more than likely to have learned this before).

Now, I’m not saying the course is going to be a piece of cake, but it won’t be impossible, either, regardless of what your marks were like in high school. If you consistently do the weekly problems and go to lecture, you’ll do well. If you do find yourself needing help, however, it is always available to you – absolutely feel free to drop in on it!

I will be unable to attend Frosh Week because I’ll be arriving campus 3 days after it starts, but I am kind a worried because almost all the sources that I have read indicates that this is an important “mile-stone” that first-years need to take, and that it was a good way to meet friends, socialize, get used to the campus etc… I’m also dorming, so I have this little irrelevant fear that I won’t get along with my roomates (in Innis) because they’ll know each other better before I arrive, and I’ll sort of be the “outcast”.

I was just wondering, am I really missing much? I’m sure there will be other opportunities to find friends, socialize, and attend orientation that may help me as a first year? I just don’t want to be left out, or feeling like I’m missing something that so many people are hyping over.

Cheers,
Catherine

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Hey Catherine!

Don’t worry! Frosh week is pretty fun, sure, but it is by no means the dealbreaker when it comes to social life at U of T.

To make you feel better, here’s what I didn’t like about frosh week: they pretend to feed you, but actually all you get is two burgers a day, you really don’t sleep ever at all, you can’t officially drink, but everyone seems to be acting funny, and you’re totally wiped out when classes start. Still feel like you missed out? Well, maybe so, but there’s still no reason to worry.

Living in res also gives you a leg up on meeting people, especially people involved in Innis student life– which you’ve probably realized by now! Several of my roommates at Innis didn’t do Frosh, so I made sure to bring them along to meet others, and, for better or for worse, we ended up being one of the busiest suites on the block! I’m sure your roomies will be just as down to hang. House events and residence programming simulate the same sort of get-to-know-yous that frosh does, anyhow, so you’ve got a second chance there.

Honestly, Catherine, I made my best first-year friends in my classes- for one thing, you already know you have similar interests as those people, as opposed to a fairly arbitrary commonality such as your year and your college. And second of all, it’s simply more natural to chat after class about your cute prof than it is to get a stranger to guess the celebrity name taped to their forehead at 9am on a Saturday (true story, it was Rachel McAdamsfor me, and I didn’t even know who that was!). Getting involved in campus activities, getting a part-time job, and just being friendly and outgoing go pretty darn far.

One last bit, and this is mostly for future froshies- if you missed Innis frosh, I hope you opted-out of the $100 fee in time! A few years ago, the Innis College Student Society ,who run Frosh, included a somewhat greedy referendum in the yearly elections, which changed Frosh fees from opt-in (you pay when you sign up) to opt-out (you’re automatically charged on ROSI, and have to contact them a month before frosh to get your money back if you aren’t going). If you ask me, the kind of student who doesn’t go to Frosh is often the kind who wouldn’t know to vote in student elections, so thats why the motion passed overwhelmingly– and now a lot of first-years are paying for something they don’t even get! Bummer spice!

Hi there,
I was wondering if i was to defer my payment due to OSAP would I be charged a deferral fee. Secondly, i`m a commuter. For frosh week, i chose to stay on campus for its accommodations. How are the accommodations – (my college is st.mikes)?

Many thanks,a first year student

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Heyo

Hell no! There are not any charges for deferring your fees because of OSAP. That would just be a kick in the ribs when you are down. Just make sure to make your payments in a timely fashion after you receive your OSAP because interest will start to accumulate after the 15th of Oct and then every mid-month mark after that!

Your accommodations will be in the regular residences, so I would hope they are pretty decent because some student will be staying there for the next 8 months. I haven’t heard a peep about St.Mikes rez situation, so I’m sure they are pretty decent to not warrant any complains from students who are use to mommy and daddy’s nice house.

Rest your vocals and prepare yourself for a lot of chanting in Frosh week!

Hi there,
I am a Chinese first year student and I am very interested in the Frosh Week. I will arrive at Toronto at Sep. 5th and I wonder whether the Frosh Week is a very energy-consuming activity? Do I have chances to take my textbooks, Tcard and maybe sometimes go for a shopping? Can you please tell me how many students will join the Frosh Week?

Thank you very much!

Chuqing Yang

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I am including this question today because it is soooooooo cute and after hours of answering anonymous emails (but not posting them on the site because I am a ninja), it is JUST. THE. CUTEST.

Dear Chuqing,

You will definitely have time for shopping, grabbing your TCard and general hang-times in between the crazed frosh week melee. When you move into residence, the Frosh Week organizers will instantly pummel you into submission and give you a schedule. Usually events happen during the afternoon and evening, giving you a bit of a breather in between.

Here is the info to apply for all the Innis Frosh Week craziness if you haven’t already done so. (Note: this only applies if you are an Innis student.) It takes place between September 6th and 10th, and while I can’t say just how many students take part, IT WILL BE THE BEST TIME OF YOUR LIFE!!! Or you know, survivable.

Dear Aska,
I heard tons of different things about ‘Frosh Week’ and I understand what it
is.
But, I read up on the UofT site, that we must purchase a ‘Frosh Kit’. What
are the contents in this kit, and how much do we pay for it?

Believe me, it’s not as exciting as you think it is.

After paying your orientation fees to your college when you sign up for frosh week (though I think it might be like a weekend) before the first day of classes, you’ll receive your own handy-dandy frosh kit. Inside the kit will be staples like a bottle of water and condoms (in case you feel like making water balloons, of course), The Varsity’s Student Handbook, a student organizer, maybe some sponsored coupons (Vic students one year got passes to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra) and the all-important Frosh Week t-shirt, to denote which member of the tribe you really are. Expect to pay somewhere in the ballpark of $10-$15 for this mandatory kit.

For more frosh week questions, check out this Q&A at UTSC.

Having never attended frosh myself, I can’t really vouch for it – though friends in residence did say it totally offered the opportunity to hook up with all the hot second years a week early. Personally, Askastudent is basically as old as the hills now – and not those fake-tanned celebrities from Los Angeles.

What campus club/organization is in charge of Frosh week? I need to contact them for frosh kit questions…any possible contact would help. Thank you in advance.

A simple question. A less simple answer.

Much like Canadian Federalism, Frosh Week responsibilities are divided amongst U.T.S.U. and the individual Colleges.

UTSU (the metaphorical federal gov) will do the concert, parade, and clubs fair – typically on the last day. They will also amass the basic “frosh kit” (e.g. laundry bag, XXL t-shirt, random flyers that you’ll never look at).

It is your College’s Student Society (‘provincial gov’) that will conduct registration, and organize the itinerary for the majority of Frosh Week. They will also supplement the frosh kits with another t-shirt (probably just an XL this time), some college paraphernalia, and some more useless papers.

The International Student Centre will also host activities (…yep, my metaphor just ran dry).

I’m going to take this pro-active opportunity to say (from experience) that you must participate in the Frosh Week of your OWN College. So, if your high school friend goes to Trin, and you’re at Innis… it looks like you’re gonna have to make a new friend. Bahahaha!

Seriously though, participating in Frosh Week is a critical way to socially transition to the university and the city. It WILL be awkward and tiring at times, but if you are a good sport I promise you’ll have a blast.

You can expect a registration form in the mail from your Student Society/Union/Council in June or July, or sometimes you can just register on the website:

i have a question about subject POSts, I have recently enrolled in 4 courses normally on ROSI by just adding them, I am coming to U of T for the first time in september and I recently have seen that there is an option to add programs of study on ROSI and I plan on finishing university with both philosophy and english majors, i have enrolled in courses that are part of both my majors such as Literature for our Time and Introductory philosophy and all my courses have just been paid for, will I face a problem because I didn’t enroll in a program of study…does it matter or can enroll in them later on…? i mean i’m alreaady taking courses that will count towards the program…

P.S I have paid for frosh-week and nobody has contacted me saying that they have recieved the money and my form which was sent via post,I need the furthur information on the event, any idea what is going on and what I can do?

hi there,
I am a new student in Innis college. After the first year, I want to study pathobiology specialist program but also want to study a major in pharmacology. Is it possible for me to study both pathobiology and pharmacology and graduate with Hon.B.Sc degree